Seamless Photo Blending with Photoshop’s Generative Fill
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Merge two photos in Photoshop with Generative Fill by blurring one photo to match the other, selecting the seam between them, and clicking Generate with an empty prompt.
The video blends a selfie with a photo of the Eiffel Tower. The two photos share similar content and lighting, and Generative Fill turns them into one image that looks like a real selfie taken in front of the tower.
This method is for anyone who wants to combine two photos without layer masks, blending modes or hand cloning. If you can open a file and draw a rough selection, you can follow along.
The video was recorded in the Photoshop Beta, when Generative Fill was a beta-only feature.
Generative Fill reached the general release in Photoshop 2024 (version 25.0) in September 2023. Every step in this tutorial works the same way in the current version.
By the end, you will know how to blur one photo to match the other, select the area where the photos meet, and let Generative Fill build the blend.
Key Takeaways
- Leave the prompt blank. Photoshop then creates a fill that merges both images instead of adding a new object.
- Match the blur before you select anything. A sharp photo next to a soft selfie background gives the seam away, and a small Gaussian Blur evens them out.
- Everything inside the selection gets replaced, so include an overcast sky in the selection if you want the blue sky to take over.
- Add as much of both images as possible to the selection, especially where they overlap. A thin selection along the seam gives a weaker blend.
- Hold Shift while you draw with the Lasso Tool to add to a selection that is already closed.
- Start with two photos that share similar content and lighting. Generative Fill builds the seam, but the closer the photos match, the better the result.
Table of contents
What You Will Learn
- How to check that two photos are ready to blend
- How to soften a sharp photo with Gaussian Blur so it matches a blurry background
- How to draw a Lasso Tool selection that covers the seam between two photos
- How to add more areas to a selection that is already closed
- How to run Generative Fill with an empty prompt so it merges both images
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2024 (version 25.0 or later) or the current version
- Two photos with similar content and lighting, placed in one document
Step 1: Open the Two Photos in One Document
Start with two photos that have similar content and lighting. In the video, one is a selfie with a soft, blurry background, and the other is a sharp shot of the Eiffel Tower.
Place both photos in one document, with the selfie on the layer above the Eiffel Tower photo. The top left of the document has transparent areas, and that is where the two photos will meet.
Tip: The closer the two photos match in color and perspective, the less work Generative Fill has to do. These seven tips for realistic composites show how to check both.
Note: Current Photoshop also has the Harmonize tool, which matches the color and light of a placed subject to its background in one click. It is the next step when the two photos do not match on their own.
Step 2: Blur the Sharper Photo with Gaussian Blur
Before you blend the images, make sure the Eiffel Tower photo matches the blurry background of the person taking the selfie. A sharp tower next to a soft background is the first thing that gives a blend away.
Select the Eiffel Tower layer, then go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
Set the Radius so the tower photo looks about as soft as the selfie background. In the video, three pixels worked great. Click OK.
Note: Blur is only one part of the match. If the brightness or color is off as well, match the subject into the background by hand before you move on.
Step 3: Select the Seam Between the Two Photos with the Lasso Tool
Now enable the Lasso Tool and freehand a selection around the transparent areas in the top left.
The selection decides what Generative Fill replaces, so use it to fix more than the gap. In the video, the overcast sky goes inside the selection too, so the blue sky can replace it.
Select below the tree line and below her hair to create a better blend between the images. Then select the grass and part of the Eiffel Tower image.
Once the selection is closed, hold Shift and draw a second selection on the other side. Select as much of the grass on both images as you can, especially where they overlap.
Tip: Always add as much of both images as possible to the selection. The more of each photo Generative Fill can see, the better the blend.
Step 4: Merge Two Photos in Photoshop with Generative Fill
Click the Generative Fill button. No need to type anything in. Just click Generate.
Leaving the prompt blank lets Photoshop create a fill that merges both images, instead of adding something new to the scene.
Note: The video shows the 2023 dialog with a single Generate button. Current Photoshop adds a model picker, variations in the Properties panel and generative credits. The Generative Fill ultimate guide covers the current dialog.
The result looks like a real selfie taken in front of the Eiffel Tower, with no visible seam between the two photos.
Generative Fill creates each fill at 1024 pixels, so a large selection on a high-resolution photo can come back soft. The low resolution fix fills the area in overlapping sections instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Place both photos in one document, then blur the sharper photo with Gaussian Blur so it matches the softer one. Draw a Lasso Tool selection around the area where the photos meet, click Generative Fill, and click Generate with an empty prompt. Photoshop builds a fill that blends the two photos into one image.
No. Leave the prompt empty and click Generate. With no prompt, Generative Fill creates a fill from the surrounding pixels, which is what merges the two photos. A prompt would add a new object instead.
The two photos need the same depth of field to look like one shot. A selfie has a soft, blurry background, so a sharp second photo stands out right away. A Gaussian Blur of a few pixels on the sharper photo evens out the difference before Generative Fill builds the seam.
Hold the Shift key while you draw with the Lasso Tool. The new area joins the existing selection instead of replacing it. This lets you cover both sides of the seam in one selection.
Select the transparent gap plus as much of both photos as you can, especially where they overlap. In the video, the selection covers the overcast sky, the area below the tree line and the hair, the grass, and part of the Eiffel Tower photo. Everything inside the selection gets replaced, so include anything you want swapped.
Generative Fill shipped in Photoshop 2024 (version 25.0) in September 2023, and it is in every version since. The video was recorded earlier in the Photoshop Beta, where the feature first appeared. The steps are the same in the current version.
Generative Fill generates each fill at 1024 pixels, so a large selection on a high-resolution photo gets stretched and looks soft. Fill the area in smaller, overlapping selections instead. Each one comes back at full detail, and together they cover the whole seam.
You can, but the blend gets harder. Generative Fill builds the seam between the photos and does not fix a lighting mismatch across the whole image. Start with photos that share similar lighting, or match the brightness and color by hand first. Current Photoshop also has the Harmonize tool, which matches a placed subject to its background in one click.
Conclusion
That is the whole method to merge two photos in Photoshop with Generative Fill: a small Gaussian Blur, one Lasso Tool selection, and a blank prompt.
If your two photos share similar content and lighting, the result can look like one photo taken in a single frame. No masks, no blending modes, and no cloning.
Watch the video above to see the selection drawn in real time, and comment on the video if you have a question about your own photos.
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Keep going
Next, learn how to blend a subject into a new background with Harmonize.
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Final Image
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